Wealth
This Russian Billionaire Has Survived Mobsters, Cops, and Courts
- Domodedovo Airport’s army of lawyers keep officials at bay
- Russia spent years pursuing Kamenshchik over terrorist attack
Moscow mobsters were among the first to learn how difficult it can be to take something away from Dmitry Kamenshchik.
It was 1992, just after the Soviet Union collapsed, and the future billionaire was raking in cash by arranging international cargo flights for a new class of shuttle trader from a rundown airport on the fringes of Moscow. That’s when two thugs stormed Kamenshchik’s office and demanded all of his money. Elena Tarshis, one of his first employees, will never forget what happened next.